THE KHUKURI

Home Of Nepalese Food In Scotland

The Khukuri is located only a few minutes walk from Edinburgh’s Princes Street. Their dishes are cooked with flavoursome and aromatic Himalayan spices, giving a truly authentic Nepalese dining experience.

DESIGN BRIEF

On December 1st 2017, The Khukuri, a client we had been working alongside a few years before, was taken over. The new management had a vision but wanted someone he could trust to bring it to life. Being a designer, avid photographer and having the knowledge of how elements should work together, tactilely and visually, I was offered the challenge.

The aim was to bring the aesthetics of the restaurant into the 21st century whilst preserving the traditional side of the Nepalese culture by removing the heavy and over-bearing orange on the walls and replacing them with a chocolate/cream colour palette for neutrality and warmth. The chocolate was a play on subtle luxury and earthiness. The addition of the lighter cream on top not only avoided a feeling of claustrophobia but also opened the space. With this particular scheme, it would also allow other colours to be introduced or work with those already present, such as the hint of orange/red in the logo which we remained unchanged to avoid confusion with an already well-known establishment.

As you can see from the before and after photos below, the restaurant had an array of cultural pieces but it felt too overcrowded and distracting so we toned it down to fit the new chic scheme, and only kept the pieces that harmonised with the colour palette. To give them a sense of purpose on the walls I displayed them in a symmetrical order for a more balanced visual display. This, along with a little feng shui, created a space that was not only welcoming but calm so that even in the busiest times of the day diners would be happy to sit and socialise with friends and loved ones.

All marketing materials, business cards and menus needed an overhaul and as you can see it will be an ever-changing process to constantly improve and move with the times.